The Graveyard Plot Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1: GRANDPA’S ATTIC

  CHAPTER 2: GRANDPA

  CHAPTER 3: CURIOSITY

  CHAPTER 4: TROUBLEMAKER

  CHAPTER 5: IN MEMORY

  CHAPTER 6: RAVENS PASS CEMETERY

  CHAPTER 7: FINAL WARNING

  CHAPTER 8: THE GRAVE

  CHAPTER 9: DEATH

  The Crazy Cat Lady Case

  Glossary

  Discussion Questions

  Writing Prompts

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  Chapter 1

  Grandpa’s Attic

  Damon Germain stood on the front lawn of his grandfather’s very old house. It was a huge building right on the edge of Ravens Pass. He’d been there many times before, but today was different. Today Grandpa wouldn’t be there.

  Standing next to Damon on the lawn were his mother; her friend, Martha Kane; and Martha’s son, Jaden. The four of them lived in Lakeville, but they were all in Ravens Pass for the weekend just to pack up the house and prepare it to be put on the market.

  Damon hardly knew Jaden, despite the fact that they were in the same grade at school. The only thing he did know about him was that Jaden had a reputation as a troublemaker. Jaden was only there because his mother didn’t like the idea of leaving Jaden home alone. All the same, the Germains were glad to have some help packing and cleaning.

  Martha shook her head. “It’s such a shame,” she said. “This house has been in your family since it was built almost a century ago!”

  “I know,” Damon’s mother said. “But my dad just can’t afford to keep the place anymore.”

  The four of them walked to the front porch. As they stepped inside the house, they saw that the place was a complete mess.

  Jaden put a hand over his mouth and nose. “Wow, it kind of —” he started to say.

  “Stinks,” Damon’s mother said. “I know.” She sighed sadly. Then she nodded. “This is probably for the best. Dad will be happier and healthier at the home.”

  Martha put her hands on her hips and smiled. “We should break into teams,” she said. “The moms will start in the basement.”

  “Great idea,” Damon’s mother said. “Damon and Jaden, you two head up to the attic and start packing up some of Grandpa’s old junk. He’s got a lot of it up there.”

  “Okay,” Damon said. “Come on, Jaden. Let’s get some boxes and get started.”

  Jaden grunted. “Whatever,” he said.

  The attic was practically a full third floor. It had a sloped ceiling that was very high in the middle but came right down to the floor on both sides. Along the walls were boxes and trunks, old furniture and lamps, and countless stacks of books. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.

  “I don’t think anybody’s been up here in years,” Damon said quietly.

  “Gee, you think?” Jaden said. He ran a finger along the top of a desk. It left a trail in the dust. “This place is a dump.”

  “Right,” Damon said, his smile drooping to a frown. “And we have to pack it all up.”

  “Great,” Jaden said. He plopped down on a small antique couch. A spring creaked and a cloud of dust puffed up around him. He coughed and jumped off the couch.

  “This is stupid,” Jaden said. “Packing everything in here will take the whole weekend!”

  Damon nodded. “If not longer,” he said.

  Jaden shook his head. “Not gonna happen,” he said. “I’ve got better things to do.”

  Damon rolled his eyes. He unfolded one of the cardboard boxes so it was ready to be loaded up with stuff. “Then you’d better work fast,” he said. “Because your mom said she wasn’t leaving until everything’s finished.”

  Jaden sighed. “I don’t see why I’m even here,” he said. “He’s not my grandpa.”

  “Then don’t help,” Damon said, irritated. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

  “Oh, relax,” Jaden said. “I’ll help.”

  “Good,” Damon said. “Start over there.”

  Jaden walked over to an old trunk under a tiny window. He popped open the trunk. “What’s in here?” he asked.

  Damon ignored him and started packing various items into the box he’d opened. “We need newspaper or something,” he muttered, looking at the vase he held in his hands. “This stuff is fragile.”

  “Weird,” Jaden said. He pulled out a black-and-white photo and held it out toward Damon. “This kid looks just like you.”

  “Jaden,” Damon said, ”we’re supposed to be packing — not unpacking! Just leave the trunk alone. It’ll go into the truck as-is.”

  Jaden rolled his eyes. He held the photo closer to Damon’s face. “Just look at this kid,” he said. “He could be your twin!”

  Damon scowled. He snatched the photo from Jaden and looked at it quickly. It was his grandpa. Next to him was a boy about the same age, but Damon didn’t recognize him.

  Damon handed the picture back to Jaden. “It’s my grandpa,” he said. “Looks like he was my age then. I don’t recognize the other boy.”

  “Not your grandpa’s brother?” Jaden asked.

  Damon shook his head. “He didn’t have one,” he said. Damon got up and went back to the box he’d been packing. “Let’s just get this over with,” he said.

  “I wonder who he is,” Jaden said.

  Damon shrugged. “If you’re so curious,” he said, “just keep the photo for now and ask my grandpa about it during lunch.”

  “Good idea,” Jaden said. He shoved the photo into the back pocket of his jeans.

  Chapter 2

  Grandpa

  The morning was filled with lifting, sorting, and dust. By early afternoon, Jaden and Damon were starving.

  Mom’s voice called out from downstairs. “You kids getting hungry yet?”

  Damon and Jaden dropped what they were doing and sprinted down the big staircase. They met their mothers at the landing and slid to a stop, almost crashing into them.

  “I guess that’s a yes,” Mom said, laughing.

  Jaden and Damon nodded. “We’re almost done packing up everything in the attic, Mom,” Damon said.

  “Already? I’m impressed!” his mother said, smiling. “Let’s take a break and head over to the nursing home to have lunch with your grandpa.”

  * * *

  Grandpa’s new place was downtown at the Ravens Pass Assisted Living Home. It was a tall, red-brick building that had lots of windows. The grounds were green and surrounded by tall maple trees.

  Damon’s grandpa was in the lobby when they arrived. He was a little old man with a hunchback and a kind face. When he stood up, he wasn’t much taller than Damon.

  “Grandpa!” Damon said. He ran over and gave him a hug.

  “Hello there, Damon,” Grandpa said. “My goodness, you’re growing fast! Pretty soon you’ll be taller than me!”

  “Hi, Dad,” Damon’s mother said. “You remember my friend, Martha Kane? This is her son, Jaden.”

  Grandpa smiled strangely at Jaden. “Nice to meet you, young man,” he said.

  Jaden pulled the photograph from his back pocket and held it out. “Who is this?” he asked. “He looks exactly like Damon.”

  Grandpa squinted at Jaden. He gently took the picture from him. Slowly, he pulled his reading glasses from the chest pocket of his shirt and carefully slipped them on. He focused his eyes on the photograph.

  Grandpa’s smile slipped away. For a few moments, he looked very sad.

  “Are you all right, Dad?” Damon’s mom asked.

  Grandpa nodded. “I haven’t seen this picture in many years,” he said. “This boy was my friend when I was young.”

  Grandpa looked at Damon. “We were about your age in th
is picture,” he said. Then Grandpa looked at Jaden. “And I would guess that Aaron was about your age, Jaden.”

  “His name was Aaron?” Jaden asked.

  Grandpa tapped his nose. “Exactly,” he said. “I remember the day this photo was taken very well.”

  “Dad, that photo was taken almost seventy years ago!” Ms. Germain said. “I doubt you remember what you did last week.”

  Grandpa pulled off his glasses and shot Damon’s mom an annoyed smile. Then he turned back toward Jaden and handed the photo to him. “It was a day I’ll never forget,” Grandpa said. “Aaron disappeared that day, and I never saw him again.”

  Chapter 3

  Curiosity

  Damon, Jaden, their mothers, and Grandpa ate lunch together in the nursing home’s dining hall. Lunch was Moroccan stew with flatbread and peas. Damon had three servings.

  Grandpa spent most of the meal picking at his stew with a faraway look on his face. When Martha and Damon’s mom got up to clear the table, Grandpa put down his fork and held out his hand toward Jaden.

  “Give me that photo for a second,” he said to Jaden. Jaden pulled the photo out from his pocket and handed it to Grandpa. With one bony finger, Grandpa pointed at something in the photo. “See that scrap of paper Aaron is holding?”

  Jaden looked at the photo and nodded. “What is it?” he asked.

  “That’s the reason I never saw Aaron again,” Grandpa said. “We thought we would just have some fun. And it was fun — for a while.”

  “What was fun, Grandpa?” Damon asked. “What is the paper?”

  “That, Damon,” Grandpa said, “is a treasure map.”

  Damon’s jaw dropped. Jaden leaned forward. “A real treasure map?” Jaden asked.

  Grandpa scowled. He gave Jaden a long stare. As Martha and Damon’s mom sat down at the table again, Grandpa raised one long bent finger. He pointed at Jaden.

  “I know that look,” Grandpa said, like he was accusing Jaden of something.

  Jaden leaned back. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He trembled.

  “That look is greed,” Grandpa said. His finger began to shake. “I saw that look once before. And now Aaron is gone.”

  Suddenly Grandpa spun in his chair and faced Damon. His eyes were wild and muscles were tensed. “Don’t let that boy take you on a treasure hunt, Damon!” he said. “You hear me?!”

  “Dad, please,” Damon’s mom said quietly. “Calm down.”

  Grandpa ignored her. He stood up and took Jaden by the wrist. “It was the demon,” he said. “The demon killed Aaron!”

  An orderly wearing a white uniform got up from his seat in the corner. He quickly moved for their table.

  “Don’t go after that treasure!” Grandpa cried out. The orderly took him by the arm. “If you go after that treasure, someone will die!”

  The orderly gently pulled Grandpa out of the dining hall. Another orderly walked up to the table. “Don’t let it upset you,” he said with a smile. “The first few days here are always hard, but folks adjust.” He glanced down at Damon. “Your grandpa will be just fine, I promise.”

  The orderly turned to Damon’s mom, and added, “You should let your father get some rest for now.”

  * * *

  “I wish you two hadn’t showed him that picture,” Damon’s mom said when they got into the car.

  “We didn’t mean to upset him,” Damon said.

  Martha patted Ms. Germain’s hand. “You heard the orderly,” she said. “Adjusting to a new home at that age must be difficult. I’m sure he’s just stressed.”

  Damon’s mom sighed. “You’re right,” she said. “It’s not your fault, Damon. Or yours, Jaden.”

  Damon looked out the window as the car drove down the long driveway. “I didn’t know he had a friend who went missing,” he said.

  “I didn’t either,” his mother said. “It’s funny that he’s never mentioned him before. He was obviously very important to him.”

  “Yeah,” Jaden said. “And the treasure was obviously important to his friend, Aaron.”

  Damon glanced at Jaden. A wide smirk ran across Jaden’s face.

  Chapter 4

  Troublemaker

  Once they were on the road back to Grandpa’s old house, Jaden leaned across the back seat toward Damon. Jaden’s eyes seemed to light up.

  “So?” Jaden whispered. “What do you think about that treasure map?”

  “What about it?” Damon asked quietly.

  “We should find it,” Jaden said. He flashed Damon a wicked grin.

  “Are you kidding me?” Damon said. “You heard Grandpa. Besides, who knows if the treasure map is even around anymore, not to mention the treasure itself. If either ever even existed.”

  Jaden kept smiling. “Don’t be such a baby,” he said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You heard the orderly. Your grandpa’s probably just getting senile.”

  Damon didn’t answer. He just stared out the window.

  “Besides,” Jaden said, his voice softer now, “if we can find that treasure, I bet there would be enough money so that your grandpa wouldn’t have to sell his house.”

  Damon hesitated. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to look,” he said. “Maybe Grandpa kept the map in the same trunk where you found that photo.”

  Jaden nodded. “Probably,” he said.

  Damon asked, “But aren’t you scared?”

  Jaden nearly laughed. “Of course not,” he said. “I’m not some little kid.”

  Damon turned away. He looked out the window at the tall, crooked elms that lined the street. “Neither am I,” he said.

  * * *

  Cleaning in the afternoon was more difficult than the morning had been. Grandpa’s bedroom wasn’t that messy, but the other two bedrooms were filthy and filled with random items. Damon wondered if Grandpa had ever thrown anything away in the seventy-two years he’d lived there.

  While they worked, Jaden kept bringing up the treasure map. “So?” he said. “Can we go look for it now?”

  “I wish you’d just forget about it,” Damon said. He unfolded another cardboard box. “We have a lot of work to do. There’s no time to go on some silly treasure hunt.”

  “Oh, please,” Jaden said. “We’ve got this thing in the bag! I checked with my mom, and they’re almost done with the main floor already. They’ll come up soon to help us, and everything will be done before you know it.”

  “Oh,” Damon said quietly. He wrapped a little glass vase in newspaper and placed it carefully inside a box.

  Jaden stood up and put a hand on Damon’s shoulder. His grip was stronger than Damon expected. “We’ll have all day tomorrow to hunt,” Jaden said. “I’m going to sneak up to the attic and find that map.”

  Jaden ran off before Damon could respond.

  Damon stayed in the room, wrapping and packing. Fifteen minutes later, Jaden returned. He was breathing heavily and his wicked grin was bigger than ever. “I found it!” he said.

  “What?” Damon said. He jumped to his feet. “I don’t believe it. Did you find it in the trunk?”

  Jaden nodded. He held up the folded and frayed piece of paper in front of Damon’s face. “Give it to me,” Damon said, reaching out his hand.

  Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the hall. Jaden quickly hid the piece of paper in his pocket.

  “Hey, you two,” Damon’s mom said.

  “Great news,” Martha said. “The work is going more quickly than we thought.”

  “Yep,” Mom said. “We can start loading up the truck now. Then we can relax tonight. In the morning, we can go say goodbye to Grandpa and head home.”

  Damon glanced at Jaden. He was frowning.

  “I’m going to call the moving truck company,” Mom said. “You two keep working, and we’ll be back soon to help you finish.”

  The moms headed back downstairs. Damon glanced at Jaden. His smile was back.

  “I guess we’ll never get the chance to look for that
treasure,” Damon said, shrugging. He stood up and grabbed the packing tape.

  “You’re scared, aren’t you?” Jaden said. “Well, guess what — we are still going to find the treasure.”

  “When?” Damon asked. “You heard my mom. We won’t be here tomorrow.”

  “We’ll look tonight,” Jaden said. “After we get the truck loaded, I’m gonna say we’re going to go get pizza.”

  “What if our moms want to come?” Damon said.

  “I heard them say they were looking forward to ordering Chinese,” Jaden said.

  “I guess you have it all planned out,” Damon said.

  “I sure do,” Jaden said. “And don’t try to get out of it. You’re coming with me.”

  Chapter 5

  In Memory

  Jaden and Damon walked down First Avenue toward downtown Ravens Pass. It was already very dark. Loading the truck had taken longer than their moms had predicted.

  By the time Jaden had convinced his mom to let them get pizza, the full moon was hanging high in the sky.

  “According to the treasure map,” Jaden said, “we should head to the corner of Main and First Street.”

  “That’s the busiest intersection in Ravens Pass,” Damon said. “I really doubt there’s a treasure there. Besides, I’m hungry. I want pizza.”

  Jaden rolled his eyes. “Obviously it’s just the first step, dork,” he said. “And don’t worry, once we find the treasure, you can buy all the pizza you want.”

  Soon, they reached the corner of First and Main. Jaden stopped. “Here we are,” he said.

  “I’m not blind,” Damon said. “Now what?”

  Jaden looked at the map and scratched his head. He still hadn’t even let Damon look at it. Some Ravens Pass residents shuffled past. They all seemed nervous and in a real hurry.

  “You kids better get inside,” a woman said as she passed. Her face was pale, and her eyes were deep. She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept or smiled or laughed in years.